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All golfers regardless of skill or experience level want to play well and score well. Unfortunately, swinging well and scoring well don't always coincide. The reason is PUTTING. Current statistics show that approximately 43% of the average golfers score is putting. Golfers can hit the ball well, putt poorly, and thus score poorly.
It is almost difficult to overemphasize the importance of putting given the 43% stat. One key measure of good, consistent putting is not how many 1 putts a golfer makes over many years but how few 3 putts are made, thus consistently 2 putting most holes.
Short putting-that is from a tap in up to 6 feet, is the most important. I call this range of distance the "holy grail" of putting. Your 2nd putting stroke on each hole will, in most cases, be between a tap in and 6 feet. How many of these you make times 18 holes will in large measure determine your score. Thus good, consistent short putting is primary to overall good scoring and good golf.
I believe one of the most important aspects of putting is having an exacting, organized, methodical pre putt routine. An organized mind will dictate an organized routine to the body to follow. A consistent pre putt routine, will, in large measure, produce "good" consistent putting results. We always tailor our routine in teaching to the needs and tendencies of each golfer.
Visualization is another key. The more you look at the distance between the ball and the hole, the better you can get the speed of the putt correct. Good putters always know how to use their eyes to produce solid results. We always emphasize in our teaching the proper use of the eyes with golfers at all levels of experience. Understand that good putting has a direct positive effect on the rest of your golf game. When you make a terrific 1 putt or a challenging 2 putt, this positive result carries over to the tee shot on the very next hole with the big C word - CONFIDENCE! Confidence in your ability and skill to perform well can not be over stated.
Practice putting will always be important to overall good putting results. We show a series of successful putting drills to systematically enhance and reinforce the golfers putting skills. Again, consistent practice putting will produce terrific CONFIDENCE when you play golf.
Remember our objective. Good, consistent putting is a key hallmark of a good solid golf game. When you putt well, you not only can score well, you will enjoy the experience of golf much more fully.
Read another article by The Putting Doctor on the short game.
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